Building management systems (BMS) are used to regulate heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems within some buildings, or within enclosed spaces. Generally, a BMS includes both hardware and software components linked together and configured to monitor and control atmospheric parameters within an enclosed space. A BMS operates by sampling atmospheric parameters, and then sending the measurements to the software for analysis. The software then determines whether to adjust hardware components within the building's ventilation system to create or maintain desirable atmospheric conditions. Hardware components generally include fans, louvers, and dampers for controlling the speed and direction of airflow within a building's ventilation system.
The BMS can regulate environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide content, and oxygen content. The BMS can use temperature measurements to determine adjustments to the heating and cooling functions of an HVAC system. Similarly, the BMS can use humidity and carbon dioxide content measurements to determine whether to draw in fresh air and at what rate. The BMS can be configured to operate while optimizing for energy efficiency, for the comfort of occupants, or for parameters desired in a particular setting, such as an operating range of sensitive equipment. For example, the BMS can monitor the level of carbon dioxide, and mix in fresh outside air with waste air to increase the amount of oxygen while also minimizing heating and cooling losses.
The BMS requires real time measurements of atmospheric parameters for the software to determine how to regulate the hardware components of the BMS system. In a large building or enclosure, it is desirable to have multiple measurements to enable the BMS to locally control the atmospheric parameters within the space. Measurements are conventionally limited to measurements taken along interior walls within an enclosed space. For example, wall mounted thermostats conventionally include temperature sensors, but only collect measurements along the interior walls of an enclosed space. Large enclosed spaces such as atriums, multi-level lobbies, auditoriums, warehouses, convention centers, and sports arenas present measurement challenges for a BMS regulating the enclosed space. Large volumes of unmeasured air can exist between interior walls where sampling conventionally occurs. Conventionally, the BMS can not collect measurements of atmospheric parameters from the interior of a large enclosed space.